System for transmitting high throughput data between multiple devices

ABSTRACT

A system for transmitting data directly between a plurality of client network devices in a network having an Access Point (“AP”) device separate from the plurality of client network devices is disclosed. The system may include a first client network device having a first client (“STA”) module and a second client network device of the plurality of client network devices.

CROSS REFERENCE To RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present U.S. utility patent application claims priority under 35U.S.C. §120, as a continuation of U.S. utility patent application havingan application Ser. No. 13/216,504, filed Aug. 24, 2011, now U.S. Pat.No. 8,243,705, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entiretyfor all purposes. The Ser. No. 13/216,504 application claims priorityunder 35 U.S.C. §120, as a continuation of U.S. utility patentapplication having an application Ser. No. 11/397,660, filed Apr. 3,2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,009,642, which is also incorporated herein byreference in its entirety for all purposes. The Ser. No. 11/397,660application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. provisionalapplication 60/736,677, filed Nov. 14, 2005.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to management of communication networks, and inparticular to a system for connecting multiple devices and transmittinghigh throughput data between the devices.

2. Related Art

Telecommunication systems continue to evolve and expand their presencein modern society. As an example, wireless networking has grown inpopularity as a result of the improvements in portable computers (i.e.,laptop computers), wireless technology, broadband access to theInternet, network gaming, and a growing popularity to network computersystems together into local area networks (“LANs”) for both business andconsumer applications. The most popular types of wireless networks forconnecting multiple computers are at present configured utilizing theInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (“IEEE”) 802.11standard, which are generally known as a “802.11 networks,” “WirelessFidelity networks,” “Wi-Fi networks,” or “WiFi networks.”

Generally, an 802.11 network includes at least two communication devicesin signal communication with each other via a wireless signal path. AnAccess Point (“AP”) acts as a communication hub for the plurality ofwireless communication devices to connect into a wireless LAN (“WLAN”)or into a wired LAN if the communication device is in signalcommunication with the wired LAN. The wireless communication devices aregenerally known as “802.11 clients,” “clients,” “client devices,”“stations” (“STAs”), “802.11 stations,” and/or “802.11 STAs.”Additionally, when STAs are in signal communication with an AP, it isreferred to as infrastructure mode.

With the maturing of the different amendments of the baseline standard(such as, for example, IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g) for 802.11networks, there is an increasing interest in home networking to enableusers to enjoy the ubiquitous availability of digital content that ahome network provides. In these networks, many forms of data may beexchanged between the network devices including, for example, voice,financial and business information, digital content, audio and/or visual(“AV”) material, and email, to name a few. Much of this information,such AV material, generally requires that large amounts of data betransmitted across the network and home networks typically operate ininfrastructure mode.

Unfortunately, if two IEEE 802.11 clients attempt to exchange databetween one another in infrastructure mode, data is exchanged throughthe AP where the data is first sent from the first client to the AP andthen the AP retransmits the data to the second client. This may causedata between clients to take twice as long or utilize twice as muchthroughput.

As an example in FIG. 1, a block diagram of an example of animplementation of a known network architecture 100 for data transferbetween client devices utilizing the 802.11 standard is shown. Asmentioned above, in infrastructure networks, the 802.11 standardrequires that data transfer occur between an AP and a client device. Asan example, the known network architecture 100 may include Device A 102,Device B 104, and Device C 106. In this example, Device C 106 is insignal communication with both Device A 102 and Device B 104 via signalpaths 108 and 110, respectively. Additionally, Device C 106 may functionas an AP, and Device A 102 and Device B 104 may function as STAs whereDevice A 102 functions as a media server and Device B 104 functions as amedia render. Generally, a media server is device, or software module,that processes multimedia applications such as, for example, AVstreaming, still image storage, and music streaming programs. A mediarender is a device, or software module, that is capable of receiving andprocessing data from the media server.

In an example of operation, if Device A 102 is to transmit data toDevice B 104, the data is first transmitted from Device A 102 to DeviceC 106, via signal path 108, and then retransmitted from Device C 106 toDevice B 104 via signal path 110. While this arrangement is functionalit is not efficient since it takes approximately twice as long totransmit data from Device A 102 to Device B 104 through Device C 106than it would to directly transmit the data from Device A 102 to DeviceB 104. Unfortunately, this generally reduces the total throughput in ashared medium transmission system such as a 802.11 network byapproximately half.

Attempted solutions to this problem include an IEEE 802.11e amendmentthat includes a Direct Link Setup (“DLS”) functionality that allows datatransfer to be setup directly between clients. In FIG. 2, a blockdiagram of an example of an implementation of the traditional networkarchitecture 200 utilizing the proposed IEEE 802.11e DLS functionalityfor data transfer between clients is shown. As an example, the knownnetwork architecture 200 may include Device A 202, Device B 204, andDevice C 206. In this example, Device C 206 is in signal communicationwith both Device A 202 and Device B 204 via signal paths 208 and 210,respectively. Additionally, Device A 202 and Device B 204 may be insignal communication via signal path 212. Similar to FIG. 1, in thisexample, Device C 206 may function as an AP, and Device A 202 and DeviceB 204 may function as STAs where Device A 202 functions as a mediaserver and Device B 204 functions as a media render.

In an example of operation, if Device A 202 is to transmit to Device B204 utilizing IEEE 802.11e DLS (or similar proposals), Device A 202negotiates with Device C 206 in order to setup a connection with DeviceB 204. Device C 206 then negotiates a connection with Device B 204 andafter negotiation, Device A 202 transmits data directly to Device B 204without passing through Device C 206. Therefore, in this example, DeviceC 206, acting as an AP, must be utilized by both Device A 202 and DeviceB 204 to communicate to each other even if the communication is going tobe only between Device A 202 and Device 204.

While under certain circumstances data transmission may be moreefficient than the process described in FIG. 1, it unfortunatelyrequires that all three communicating devices on the network implementthe new DLS functionality. This is unlikely in a typical scenariobecause there are approximately about 100 million 802.11 devices thathave already been deployed in the field without DLS functionality.Therefore, there is a need for a system and method to transmit databetween client devices with high overall throughput and low latency thatis backward compatible with existing network devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to apparatus and methods of operationthat are further described in the following Brief Description of theDrawings, the Detailed Description of the Invention, and the Claims.Other features and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description of the invention madewith reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention can be better understood with reference to the followingfigures. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale,emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of theinvention. In the figures, like reference numerals designatecorresponding parts throughout the different views.

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an example of an implementation of aknown network architecture for data transfer between IEEE 802.11clients.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of an example of an implementation of aknown network architecture utilizing an IEEE 802.11e Direct Link Setup(“DLS”) functionality for data transfer between clients.

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of an example of an implementation of anetwork architecture of a system for transmitting high throughput databetween multiple devices (“STDMD”) in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of implementation of aprocess for connecting multiple wireless devices, in accordance with theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following description of the preferred embodiment, reference ismade to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and whichshow, by way of illustration, a specific embodiment in which theinvention may be practiced. Other embodiments may be utilized andstructural changes may be made without departing from the scope of thepresent invention.

Additionally, although the following description makes reference toparticular communication network technologies and network entities asexamples, it is appreciated to those skilled in the art that thedescription is not limited to these examples and other networktechnologies examples supporting a different arrangement of networkentities also may be employed without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention. In addition, the description makes reference toterms such as “devices,” “modules,” and “functions”. It is appreciatedthat a device and/or module performing a given function “x” as part ofits operation also may be referred to as an “x” device, “x” module, oras an “x” function, interchangeably, without departing from the spiritor scope of the invention.

A system for transmitting data directly between a plurality of clientnetwork devices in a network having an Access Point (“AP”) deviceseparate from the plurality of client network devices is disclosed. Thesystem may include a first client network device and a second clientnetwork device of the plurality of client network devices. The firstclient network device may include a first client (“STA”) module and asecond STA module. The first STA module may be configured to selectivelycommunicate with the AP device. The second client network device mayinclude a client AP module and a third STA module. The third STA modulemay be configured to selectively communicate with the AP device. Thesecond STA module may be configured to selectively communicate with theclient AP module.

Additionally disclosed is a Dual Access Point and Station (“DAS”)enabled device for transmitting data directly between the DAS enableddevice and a plurality of client network devices in a network having anAccess Point (“AP”) device separate from the plurality of client networkdevices. The DAS enabled device may include a client (“STA”) module anda client AP module. The STA module may be configured to selectivelycommunicate with the AP device or communicate directly with a firstclient network device from the plurality of client network devices. Theclient AP module may be configured to selectively communicate directlywith the first client network device or another client network devicefrom the plurality of client network devices.

In an example of operation, the invention performs a process fortransmitting data directly between a plurality of client network devicesin a network having an access point device separate from the pluralityof client network devices. The process includes receiving a broadcastmessage at a first client network device in the plurality of clientnetwork devices, wherein the broadcast message includes informationindicating network capabilities of a second client network device in theplurality of client network devices. The process also includesdetermining the network capabilities of the second client network devicein response to receiving the broadcast message, exchanging packetinformation with the second client network device based on the networkcapabilities of the second client network device, and establishing adirect communication path with the second client network device, whereinthe direct communication path is a signal path that does not include theaccess point device.

Other systems, methods and features of the invention will be or willbecome apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of thefollowing figures and detailed description. It is intended that all suchadditional systems, methods, features and advantages be included withinthis description, be within the scope of the invention, and be protectedby the accompanying claims.

In FIG. 3, a block diagram of an example of an implementation of anetwork architecture of a system for transmitting high throughput databetween multiple devices (“STDMD”) 300 in accordance with the inventionis shown. The STDMD may include Device A 302, Device B 304, and Device C306. In this example, Device C 306 is in signal communication with bothDevice A 302 and Device B 304 via signal paths 308 and 310,respectively. Additionally, Device A 302 and Device B 304 may be insignal communication via signal path 312.

In this example, one or more network devices (such as, for example,Device A 302, Device B 304, and Device C 306) within the networkarchitecture of the STDMD 300 may be connected to one or more othernetwork devices. Additionally, one or more of these network devices mayimplement a Dual Access Point and Station (“DAS”) functionality thatallows connection to traditional Access Points (“APs”), traditionalclient devices (i.e., stations “STAs”), or other DAS devices. Ingeneral, a DAS device implements a new functionality, in addition tofunctionality traditionally associated with one or more APs and/ortraditionally associated with one or more STAs. Generally, the DAS newfunctionality has both AP and STA functionality and a DAS enabled devicemay be associated to multiple networks. Each packet of data to or fromthe DAS enabled device is for at least one of the networks and selectinga network for transmission may be based on addresses such as, forexample, media access control (“MAC”) and/or Internet protocol (“IP”)address. Additionally, a DAS enabled device may receive any packet ofdata from any network that it is a member of. The DAS device may haveDAS function as a result of having one or more AP modules and one ormore STA modules within the DAS device.

Therefore, in this example, Device C 306 may function as an AP, andDevice A 302 and Device B 304 may function as STAs to Device C 306.However, if Device A 302 is a DAS device, then Device A 302 may functionas a media server and a client AP to device B 304 and an STA to device C306. Similarly, if Device B 304 is a DAS device, then Device B 304 thatmay function as a media render and an STA to Device A 302 and an STA toDevice C 306. In this example, both Device A 302 and Device B 304 mayutilize an association configuration protocol (“ACP”) that allowsdevices to easily determine the AP, client AP, and STA functionalityrelationships to each other. As an example, Device A 302 and Device B304 also may be client devices such as 802.11 client devices and DeviceC 306 also may be an 802.11 AP type device such as 802.11 AP device.

In an example of operation, Device A 302 is to transmit data directly toDevice B 304 and still have the ability to transfer some data to andfrom Device C 306, Device B 304 is also to receive data directly fromDevice A 302 and still have the ability to transfer some data to andfrom Device C 306, and Device C 306 implements the functionalitytraditionally associated with an AP. However in this example, Device C306 may be unaware of the request and protocol related with Device A 302transmitting directly to Device B 304.

As mentioned above, a DAS enabled device may implement one or more ofthe following functionalities, in addition to functionalitytraditionally associated with one or more APs, functionalitytraditionally associated with one or more STAs, and functionalityassociated with an ACP.

Association Control Protocol (“ACP”)

A DAS enabled device may implement an ACP Configurator functionalityand/or ACP Client functionality. An ACP Configurator may be adapted tobroadcast an ACP type-length-value (“TLV”) indicating an open ACPWindow. The ACP TLV may broadcast utilizing layer-2 broadcast and/orlayer-3 broadcast messaging.

Besides the exchange of information related to security, other types ofinformation may also be exchanged within the network architecture of theSTDMD 300 of FIG. 3. For example, client configuration information maybe exchanged by the STDMD 300. Additionally, Quality of Service (“QoS”)parameters, such as Network User Priorities, may be assigned by the ACPConfigurator, based on traffic information provided by an ACP Client.Moreover, an ACP Configurator and ACP Client may exchange device andservice capabilities information.

ACP-Configurator: Layer-2

If the ACP utilizes layer-2 broadcast messaging, when the ACP process isinitiated on a DAS enabled device, the ACP-configurator may add an ACPTLV field (such as, for example, type, length, value) to an InformationElement (“IE”) in its beacons to the network. An example of an IEstructure is shown below:

struct acp_ie { uchar id; uchar len; uchar oui[3]; uchar ver; ucharassoc; uchar flags; uchar acp_tlv[0]; /* Optional TLVs */ } PACKED;

The ACP data field of the TLV may have the following format:

Bit Position Description Value  0-5 ACP Version 1 to 63  6 ACP-windowopen 1 if ACP window is currently open, 0 otherwise  7 AP Recently 1 ifAP was configured during the Configured current ACP session, 0 otherwise 8-15 Length Length in bytes of the ACP TLV 16 STA capable 1 if devicemay operate as a STA 17 Multi-STA capable 1 if device may operate as aSTA in multiple SSIDs 18 AP capable 1 if device may operate as a AP 19Multi-AP capable 1 if device may operate as a AP in multiple SSIDs 20UPnP AV Server 1 if device may operate as a UPnP capable AV server 21UPnP AV Client 1 if device may operate as a UPnP capable AV client 22DLNA Media Server 1 if device may operate as a DLNA capable Media server23 DLNA Media Client 1 if device may operate as a DLNA capable Mediaclient . . . . . . . . .

ACP-Configurator: Layer-3

If the ACP utilizes layer-3 broadcast messaging, a layer-3 ACP broadcastmay be performed using a General Event Notification Architecture(“GENA”) NOTIFY method such as, for example, the GENA Notify methoddescribed in the document by J. Cohen, S. Aggarwal, Y. Y. Goland,entitled “General Event Notification Architecture Base: Client toArbiter”, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. Asa result, the broadcast messaging may be performed utilizing a NTS valueACP Window (“ACP:Window”) to multicast channel/port or the broadcastaddress. The value of NT in an ACP:Window request may be set to theservice's service type, and the ACP:Window request may also include aUSN header that is set to the ACP Configurator service's USN. It isappreciated that the NTS values, ACP Windows, NT values in anACP:Window, and USN are fields that are defined by a GENA Notify method.

The ACP:Window requests may contain a Location and/or AL header. Ifthere is no domain name server (“DNS”) support available on the localarea network (“LAN”), then a location may be provided utilizing an IPaddress of the ACP Configurator service. In addition, an ACP:Windownotification may include a max-age header. Again, it is appreciated thatthe max-age header, Location header and AL header are also fields thatare defined by a GENA Notify method.

In general, a response to a ACP:Window notification message may not berequired.

An example of an ACP:Window notification message is shown, below, inListing 1.

Listing 1 NOTIFY * HTTP/1.1 Host: 239.255.255.250:1900 NT: ID:ACP NTS:ACP:Window:1:1:0 USN: someuniqueid::ID: ACP AL/Location:http://192.168.1.1:80/index.xml Cache-Control: max-age = 60

The ACP:Window data field may include, for example, three numeric valuesseparated by colons, and may have the following format: ACP:Window:ACPVersion:ACP WindowOpen:APRecentlyConfigured: (other values) where thevalues are show in the Listing 1 above.

As an example of operation, when an ACP Configurator sends an ACP Windownotification message, the ACP Configurator may indicate this event toall STAs on the network, by broadcasting this information in a beacon IEor via the GENA Notify method, as described above. When an ACP Clientdevice receives an ACP Window open indication message and the ACP Clientdevice is in an ACP Activate mode, the ACP Client device may initiatemessaging to the ACP Configurator by transmitting an initializationmessage to the ACP Configurator. This may be performed through an ACPRelay function, or possibly to the ACP Relay function, depending on thenetwork technologies on either side of the ACP Relay function. It isappreciated by those skilled in the art that some network technologiesdo not involve formal association before transmission of data packets inorder to proceed to an authentication or configuration phase. If aformal association is involved, the ACP Relay function and the ACPClient device may associate in order to complete the rest of the ACPmessaging such as, for example, during authentication or configuration.

The initiation of the ACP window may be entered into via, for example,an external input such as, for example, the local pushing of a button ona gateway by a user, remote configuration, or out of band transfer ofdata such as, for example, a hardware device like a universal serial bus(“USB”) drive, flash memory, etc.

The ACP approach may be implemented utilizing an ExtensibleAuthentication Protocol (“EAP”) such as described in the document by L.Blunk and J. Vollbrecht, entitled “PPP Extensible AuthenticationProtocol (EAP)”, published as Internet Engineering task Force (IETF) RFC2284, March 1998 or IEEE 802.1X, which is herein incorporated byreference in its entirety. Example components for an EAP include 1) anAuthentication Server, 2) an Authenticator, and 3) a Peer or Supplicant.The ACP Configurator function may act, for example within an 802.11network, as the Authentication Server and Authenticator for anExtensible Authentication Protocol (EAP), and the ACP Client functionmay act as the Supplicant. a

In another example of an implementation of the invention, the ACPapproach may utilize a discovery or configuration protocol such as:

1) Secure Easy Setup;

2) OASIS Simple Config;

3) 7C Simple Config;

4) Microsoft Link Layer Topology Discovery (LLTD);

5) Universal Plug and Play (UPnP); or

6) Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA).

In another example of an implementation of the invention, this ACPapproach may be applied to wired network devices. In wired LANs, Slavedevices that communicate through a Master device may instead communicatedirectly to other Slave devices.

In general, the invention performs a process for transmitting datadirectly between a plurality of client network devices in a networkhaving an access point device separate from the plurality of clientnetwork devices. The process includes receiving a broadcast message at afirst client network device in the plurality of client network devices,wherein the broadcast message includes information indicating networkcapabilities of a second client network device in the plurality ofclient network devices. The process also includes determining thenetwork capabilities of the second client network device in response toreceiving the broadcast message, exchanging packet information with thesecond client network device based on the network capabilities of thesecond client network device, and establishing a direct communicationpath with the second client network device, wherein the directcommunication path is a signal path that does not include the accesspoint device.

Turning to FIG. 4, a flow diagram 400 illustrating an example of processfor association of devices (including one or more DAS devices) is shownin accordance with the invention. The process starts in step 402, an ACPConfigurator in a network device broadcasts a message signal thatindicates the capabilities of a network device. In step 404, one or moreACP Clients (in one or more other network devices) determine thecontents of the ACP capabilities message in the message signal and, instep 406, the ACP Configurator enters the ACP Window state either byremote or local interaction (i.e., such as, for example, the pushing ofa button). Similarly, in step 408, an ACP Client enters the ACP Activestate either by remote or local interaction (i.e., again such as, forexample, the pushing of a button). In step 410, security andconfiguration information is exchanged between the ACP Configurator andACP Client during an ACP Packet Exchange. During the ACP PacketExchange, a “handshake” procedure may take place between the two devicesafter the second device has determined the capabilities of the firstdevice from the broadcast message signal. In step 412, the ACPConfigurator device and ACP client device are successfully associatedand their roles as a STA or AP for this association have beenestablished and the process ends. Additional optional steps may alsoinclude communicating initially with a third device that includes atraditional AP device.

The network capabilities may include the capability of utilizing an ACPand determining the network capabilities of the second client networkdevice may include determining an ACP TLV from the broadcast message.The process may further include entering into an ACP Active state inresponse to determining the network capabilities of the second clientnetwork device. Exchanging packet information may include transmittingan initialization message to an ACP Configurator within the secondclient network device, wherein the transmitting an initializationmessage may include utilizing an ACP Relay function.

Additionally, the process also may include entering into an ACP Windowstate at the second device after transmitting the broadcast message,wherein entering into an ACP Window state may be responsive to anexternal input.

Persons skilled in the art will understand and appreciate, that one ormore processes, sub-processes, or process steps described may beperformed by hardware or software, or both. Additionally, the inventionmay be implemented completely in software that would be executed withina microprocessor, general-purpose processor, combination of processors,DSP, or ASIC. The invention may be realized in a centralized fashion inat least one computer system, or in a distributed fashion wheredifferent elements are spread across several interconnected computersystems. If the process is performed by software, the software mayreside in software memory in the controller. The software in softwarememory may include an ordered listing of executable instructions forimplementing logical functions (i.e., “logic” that may be implementedeither in digital form such as digital circuitry or source code or inanalog form such as analog circuitry or an analog source such an analogelectrical, sound or video signal), and may selectively be embodied inany computer-readable (or signal-bearing) medium for use by or inconnection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device,such as a computer-based system, processor-containing system, or othersystem that may selectively fetch the instructions from the instructionexecution system, apparatus, or device and execute the instructions. Inthe context of this document, a “machine-readable medium”,“computer-readable medium” or “signal-bearing medium” is any means thatmay contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program foruse by or in connection with the instruction execution system,apparatus, or device. The computer readable medium may selectively be,for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical,electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device,or propagation medium. More specific examples, but nonetheless anon-exhaustive list, of computer-readable media would include thefollowing: an electrical connection (electronic) having one or morewires; a portable computer diskette (magnetic); a RAM (electronic); aread-only memory “ROM” (electronic); an erasable programmable read-onlymemory (EPROM or Flash memory) (electronic); an optical fiber (optical);and a portable compact disc read-only memory “CDROM” (optical). Notethat the computer-readable medium may even be paper or another suitablemedium upon which the program is printed, as the program can beelectronically captured, via, for instance, optical scanning of thepaper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted or otherwise processedin a suitable manner if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory.

While the present invention has been described with reference to certainembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes can be made and equivalents can be substituted withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. It will be understoodthat the foregoing description of an implementation has been presentedfor purposes of illustration and description. It is not exhaustive anddoes not limit the claimed inventions to the precise form disclosed.Modifications and variations are possible in light of the abovedescription or may be acquired from practicing the invention. The claimsand their equivalents define the scope of the invention.

What is claimed:
 1. A method to transmit data directly between a firstdevice and a second device in a network via a first pathway, in whichthe first device and the second device also communicate with a networkaccess point via a second pathway, the method comprising: enabling thefirst device, which is a Dual Access Point and Station (“DAS”) devicehaving functionality to operate both as a station and as an accesspoint, to operate in an access point (“AP”) mode by selecting the APmode to communicate directly with the second device via the firstpathway; configuring an Association Configuration Protocol (“ACP”)configurator of the first device to configure an ACP broadcast messagethat includes information indicating device capabilities of the firstdevice, wherein the ACP broadcast message includes an ACPtype-length-value (“TLV”) field to indicate an open ACP window;transmitting the ACP broadcast message to the second device in abroadcast beacon via the first pathway without utilizing the secondpathway and the network access point; receiving a response from thesecond device when the second device is capable of responding to the APmode of a DAS-enabled device to establish a client-server pair betweenthe first and second devices and a direct communication link via thefirst pathway; and exchanging data wirelessly and directly between thefirst device and the second device using the first pathway during aperiod of the open ACP window.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the TLVfield is added to an Information Element (“IE”) in the broadcast beacon.3. The method of claim 1, wherein the ACP window is opened responsive toan external input.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein when establishingthe direct communication link, the second device transmits aninitialization message to the ACP configurator of the first device. 5.The method of claim 1, wherein the direct communication link of thefirst pathway utilizes IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b or IEEE 802.11gcommunication protocol.
 6. A method to transmit data directly between afirst device and a second device in a network via a first pathway, inwhich the first device and the second device also communicate with anetwork access point via a second pathway, the method comprising:enabling the first device, which is a Dual Access Point and Station(“DAS”) device having functionality to operate both as a station and asan access point, to operate in an access point (“AP”) mode by selectingthe AP mode to communicate directly with the second device via the firstpathway, in which the second device is operable to respond to a DAScapable device; configuring an Association Configuration Protocol(“ACP”) configurator of the first device to configure an ACP broadcastmessage that includes information indicating device capabilities of thefirst device and that the first device is a DAS device, wherein the ACPbroadcast message includes an ACP type-length-value (“TLV”) field toindicate an open ACP window; transmitting the ACP broadcast message tothe second device in a broadcast beacon via the first pathway withoututilizing the second pathway and the network access point; receiving aresponse from the second device, when the second device identifies thefirst device as a DAS device operating in the AP mode, to establish aclient-server pair between the first and second devices and a directcommunication link via the first pathway; exchanging data wirelessly anddirectly between the first device and the second device using the firstpathway during a period of the open ACP window; and switching from theAP mode to a station (“STA”) mode for the first device after exchangingdata between the first and second devices to have the first devicecommunicate with the network access point for communication via thesecond pathway in the STA mode.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein theTLV field is added to an Information Element (“IE”) in the broadcastbeacon.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein when the ACP window is opened,security information is exchanged between the first and second devices.9. The method of claim 6, wherein when establishing the directcommunication link, the second device transmits an initializationmessage to the ACP configurator of the first device.
 10. The method ofclaim 6, wherein the direct communication link of the first pathwayutilizes IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b or IEEE 802.11g communicationprotocol.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein when in the STA mode,communication link with the network access point also utilizes one ofthe IEEE 802.11a IEEE 802.11b or IEEE 802.11g communication protocol.12. The method of claim 6, wherein when in the STA mode, communicationlink with the network access point utilizes IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11bor IEEE 802.11g communication protocol.
 13. A Dual Access Point andStation (“DAS”) enabled apparatus to wirelessly transmit data directlybetween the DAS enabled apparatus and a second device in a network via afirst pathway, in which the DAS enabled apparatus and the second devicealso to communicate wirelessly with a network access point via a secondpathway, the DAS enabled apparatus having functionality to operate bothas a station and as an access point, and when selected to operate in anaccess point (“AP”) mode, to communicate directly with the second devicevia the first pathway, comprising: an AP module, including anAssociation Configuration Protocol (“ACP”) configurator, to configure anACP broadcast message that includes information indicating devicecapabilities of the DAS enabled apparatus device, wherein the ACPbroadcast message includes an ACP type-length-value (“TLV”) field toindicate an open ACP window, to transmit the ACP broadcast message in abroadcast beacon to the second device via the first pathway withoututilizing the second pathway and the network access point, and when aresponse is received from the second device in responding to the ACPbroadcast message, to establish a client-server pair between the DASenabled apparatus and the second device to exchange data wirelessly anddirectly between the DAS enabled apparatus and the second device usingthe first pathway during a period of the open ACP window; and a STAmodule to switch from the AP mode to a station (“STA”) mode for the DASenabled apparatus device after exchanging data to have the DAS enabledapparatus communicate with the network access point for communicationvia the second pathway.
 14. The DAS enabled apparatus of claim 13,wherein the TLV field is added to an Information Element (“IE”) in thebroadcast beacon.
 15. The DAS enabled apparatus of claim 13, whereinwhen the ACP window is opened, security information is to be exchangedbetween the DAS enabled apparatus and the second device.
 16. The DASenabled apparatus of claim 13, wherein the second device to transmit aninitialization message to the ACP configurator when in an active mode torespond to the open ACP window.
 17. The DAS enabled apparatus of claim13, wherein the AP module to utilize IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b or IEEE802.11g communication protocol for the first pathway.
 18. The DASenabled apparatus of claim 13, wherein the AP module to utilize IEEE802.11a, IEEE 802.11b or IEEE 802.11g communication protocol and the STAmodule to also utilize one of the IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b or IEEE802.11g communication protocol.
 19. The DAS enabled apparatus of claim13, wherein the DAS enabled apparatus is to be configured as a masterdevice and the second device is to be configured as a slave device. 20.The DAS enabled apparatus of claim 13, wherein the DAS enabled apparatusis a media source and the second device is a media render.